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But I’m not Riverclan! (Snowfall)
But I’m not Riverclan! Part five, Mission Two, of Snowfall. “No-man’s land for cats is usually water,” meows Sparkles as she hurries along the deserted pathways. “But this whole place is based on water!” “And lots of places are considered forgotten places,” chips in Amsterdam. “The Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, Mariana’s Web. Is there a map of this place anywhere?” Amy stops and tilts her head at a sign with a map on. “There’s a ride called Atlantis,” she informed them. “I guess we should just follow the signposts.” She runs off and the rest of us follow her. Soon we arrive at a pale orange structure. “This is a rollercoaster,” I breathe, remembering the insane car ride a few minutes ago. A message is scrawled on a wall by the entrance: Clever kitties, here is the first zone, Little Snowpaw must go it alone. “I’m not going on that,” I squeak, eyeing the massive drop at the front. “I’ll go with her,” volunteers Amsterdam. Amy steps in between us. “If Snowpaw goes in there with another cat that anonymous cat who approached you earlier will kill us all. It’s a long story, but we can’t take any chances.” Amsterdam nods and nudges me towards the entrance. “If it’s safe for humans, it’s safe for cats.” He licks my cheek quickly and leads me in. “Good luck,” he purrs. I eventually find the carriage thingies, and strap myself in. Suddenly it starts, slowly taking me into a dark tunnel illuminated by tiny multicoloured lights and shapes. It’s nice, but there’s a creepy atmosphere somehow. I rise upwards, growing more frightened my the minute. “Welcome friends,” says a voice. I scream. “Do not be afraid,” it continues. Well I am damn well afraid. “Come closer… Let me show you the magic of Atlantis.” Like, what is this? A horror movie? Something laughs happily. I ducked down below my seat. Oh my Starclan, I think I’m gonna wet myself… The ride was spiralling upwards now, and something flashes. A twoleg face with snakes for hair. The same thing appears above me seconds later, cackling evilly. I’m slowly approaching a green light now. Some doors open and I blink at the bright light. I’m still going upwards, and soon I’m going to meet the drop… Luckily my bladder is still holding itself together. There’s a large ascent ahead, and I close my eyes. This ride is playing me like a fool. Suddenly I plunge downwards, screaming like I’m being burnt alive and slowly tortured at the same time. The carriage crashes into water, drenching me in icy water. And it’s not over yet. And yes, by now I have wet myself. I see the others, looking on eagerly. “You can do this Snowpaw!” cheers Amsterdam. “Not likely; I’ve already wet myself,” I holler back. Amsterdam cracks up laughing. Well he is a tom, after all. The track rises up again, then goes down, again spraying me with water. It’s actually quite refreshing in this heat. There’s a large ascent, then a quick downwards spiral. I’m back outdoors again, and I’m back to where the ride started. I clamber out, noticing another new clue on the wall: The next riddle is where the killer whales are, Hopefully this won’t be au revoir “I have the next clue!” I yowl as I run up to meet them. “The next riddle is where the killer whales are, hopefully this won’t be au revoir.” I look at Sparkles. “Do you know where there are killer whales here?” “Shamu Stadium,” butts in Amy. “Home to some killer whales here, and the next clue. Unfortunately it’s on the other side of SeaWorld.” I run ahead. “Then let’s go!” The Shamu Stadium is a large stadium with a viewing area. We sneak in unnoticed, but then my heart skips a beat. “There are twolegs there looking after the whales.” “Then sneak in the water and search them whales for the clue,” says Amy, rolling her eyes. “They’re around the back. Sneak in and dive in.” I nod and run over to a door to the back area. The twolegs are in wetsuits, training the whales. Just dive in, ''I tell myself. ''The water won’t sting: it’s not chlorinated. ''I breathe in deeply and plunge in, feeling the water rush past my fur. The killer whales are huge black and white creatures, twisting and turning. A tag with writing on is attached to it’s flipper, and I swim up and bite it off. I hear a shout from above. A twoleg dives in, heading towards me at an alarming pace. I dive under the killer whale, paddling frantically. I don’t really know how to swim. I’ve only seen dogs do it on TV and Sparkles had taken me swimming a couple of times, but I never really got the hang of it. I stay low, and don’t resurface until I reach the edge. I get up and shake myself off. Now both twolegs have spotted me and are running. I yelp and hurtle across the tiles, squeezing through the gap in which I came through.I stop at the group’s paws, panting. “I got… the next… clue,” I pant, dropping it on the floor. The cats crowd around me, reading what it says. They may have had their barbs cut out, But I don’t so, so I guess watch out! “Stingrays have barbs,” chirps Amsterdam. “It’s their stingers.” I froze. “So I have to swim with ''stingrays ''now?” I scream. “I’m cold and drenched, and I’m not even Riverclan!” “We’ll see when we get there,” reassures Sparkles. “If there is a chance you’ll get stung, you won’t have to swim. We’ll use a pole instead.” I nod, thankful for her compromise. “The stingray aquarium is on the other side of the park,” says Amy, checking a nearby map. “We’ll cross the bridge then follow the signposts.” She walks away and suddenly launches into an abandoned ice-cream stand. The thing topples over, spilling little balls of ice-cream everywhere. “Dippin’ Dots!” yowls Amsterdam. “My favourite!” he rushes forwards and starts licking the icecream off the ground. Sparkles walks past the two cats and their ice-cream. “We have to go!” she urges impatiently. Amy looks at her. “Fine,” she groans. “Come on, Amsterdam. Once we’ve taken care of you when we’re home you can have as much ice-cream as you want.” Amsterdam runs up to me. “So are you a spy? You sound British.” “I am British,” I meow. “And I am a spy. You might become one.” Amsterdam gasps in delight. “That’s ''so cool.” “It’s dangerous though,” I warn him. “On my first mission I was almost blown up, kidnapped by humans, gassed with toxic gas, was involved in an insane car chase with the police, all to take down one cat.” But that didn’t faze Amsterdam. “I wanna do that too! Do you think we’ll be able to go on a mission together?” “Maybe,” I shrug. “The spy organisation the other cats and I work for is called FROST. We have to take down a group of cats called The Hidden. They want to kill all humans. The cat I had to kill in my first mission was a member. He shot loads of kids to death, almost blew me up, and set off the bomb of gas, and in the end I killed him.” “So is this a mission?” he asks. “Eh, kind of. It all started when I won the lottery—” “You won the lottery?” he shrieks. “Then where’s all your money?” “I’ll get to that!” I snap. We were crossing the bridge that ran over the lake-like thing of another stadium. “Then the purple and white cat ahead of us showed up and took us to Florida. The other cat next to her almost died shortly after we arrived and I thought she was dead. Then she appeared in our hotel room. That night a cat who is stalking me and planned all of this and approached you stole all our money and injected a bomb into us. We killed loads of people on the journey here because we had an hour to get here, and then the stalker stopped the bomb from detonating and started the hunt for all these clues and then we found you.” “So I’m kinda a spy now? Awesome!” he yowls. He leaps off the bridge. “And will I get proper training in Britain?” “Absolutely,” I purr. “Who knows, maybe I might even get to train you! But it might be one of the senior cats who aren’t with us.” His eyes gleam. “I really hope its you. You’re probably the only friend I’ve had since I was born. I’m eight moons and I left my family in Manhattan. I travelled south and have been fighting for survival any life.” He pauses. “That’s why I have so much adrenaline,” he purrs. Sparkles stops and waits until she’s beside us. “We have a special training centre in Devon for young cats. Snowpaw’s choice was last-minute and we sent her on a mission too soon for her to begin her training, so she really never got a chance to go. She had training from her old home and her first mission, so there’s no need.” I bow my head in sadness. But I had warrior training, under the trees and with my “But I’ll talk to the other cats at FROST to see if they’ll book you a place, Amsterdam,” Sparkles purrs silkily. “You’ll love it. It’s called Little Wings. Good for instilling discipline into you. You go on a few mini missions while you’re there, and then get sent back to a centre of your choice. Choose FROST, and you’ll be with Snowpaw and the rest of us.” We arrive at the stingray tank. I peer into the short glass walls, short enough for me to jump over and into the water. Not that I want to. A tag is attached to a stingray’s flipper. “I found a jar of the barbs!” called Sparkles. “They were cut off this morning. It’s safe to swim!” Amy throws me in. I scream underwater, watching the bubbles rise up to the surface. The stingrays swarm around me like a storm of smooth, brown or black pelts. I spot the tag and make a lunge for it, gripping it in my teeth. It easily comes off, and I swim back up. Sparkles stares at her paw as if she’s timing me. She notices me sopping wet, and puts her paw down. “That was quick,” she chirps. “What does the clue say?” I put it down on the ground and begin to read. Another language and a sliver fin, Take these creatures out for a spin “Dolphins!” exclaims Amsterdam. “You get to ride dolphins! Snowpaw, you’re so lucky!” He says in awe. “They don’t hurt. They’re awesome and can do tricks!” “So where’s the dolphin place then?” I ask, feeling a boost of confidence. “Behind us,” shrugs Amy. “Come on!” She lopes off into a large building opposite the stingray area. The dolphin theatre is another stadium, but it’s smaller than the killer whale stadium. We walk in unnoticed, but a few twolegs are dotted about. “Make a dash for it, Snowpaw, go on,” Sparkles dares me. I run into bright sunlight, shouts of alarm coming from the twolegs. A dolphin is nearby, but it’s far from the edge. Maybe if I jump… I leap off the edge, and my paws skim the water. And that’s when I’m lifted up into the air. Ohhh snap. I twist around, flailing my hind legs at the twoleg's chest. Bright red lines appear and blood starts to dribble down. My bottom half thuds against the concrete tiles and my front half go face-first into the water. I slip in, my legs and belly screaming with pain. The dolphin hasn’t moved yet, and I clamber onto it. Now how the heck do I ride a dolphin? I try the horse technique, tapping my hind paws against it lightly. It lurches forward, and I wrap my forelegs around its fin. It’s like a living speedboat! My stomach drops as I notice the course ahead: hoops, hurdles, and weave poles. Dolphin agility. Nice. I tug the fin back as the dolphin approaches the first hoop. Isn’t that what you do with speedboats? Amazingly, the dolphin leaps up and glides through the first hoop. I look back at the twolegs. Their mouths are wide open and I flash them a grin. Bet you don’t see this everyday. I seem more comfortable riding this dolphin now; more determined. I don’t hesitate as we leap, weave, duck, and perform our way through the course. The last obstacle is a wall. A freaking seven foot high wall! And on the top of it is the clue. So I guess I’m supposed to somehow make the dolphin jump over that, and lean over and grab the next clue? They say Starclan gives us only what we can handle. Then I guess when I was born, they must’ve thought that I was a freaking ninja. I think Starclan’s right. Chad froze as the white cat leapt off hm and into the water. “Julie…” he fretted. “Julie! Julie! Julie!” “What?” snapped Julie. Her scraggly mousy hair was loosely tied back, giving her a slightly more agitated and nitpicky look. Which didn’t really make much difference. “That cat just scratched me, leapt into the pool and climbed onto Silverstar,” said Chad, pointing at the dolphin nearest to him while he wiped the blood off his chest. “Then get it out of there,” sighed Julie before turning back to the other dolphin. Chad’s jaw dropped open as he saw the cat riding around the course. “Julie! You must see what the cat’s doing now!” he squealed giddily. “What, Chad? What is that cat doing—” she froze as she saw the cat weave through the weave poles. Chad was already filming the whole stunt on his phone. “They’re approaching the wall,” she whispered. “If that dolphin crashes and that cat drowns, we are so ''going to get sued,” muttered Chad crossly. “Up, you silver thing that feels like the bald head of a barbie doll!” I shriek as I tilt the dolphin upwards. The dolphin makes a weird noise and crashes into the wall. “Oh dung!” I scream as I leap up the wooden wall. I somehow manage to scale it even though my waterlogged pelt is dragging me down. I grab the clue in my teeth, then let myself slide down. A twoleg, the same one I scratched earlier, swims over and drags me onto the dolphin. When I’m back on solid ground, I shake myself off, let the two twolegs pet and feed and water me, and walk back out of the dolphin theatre. “I got the next clue, almost killed a dolphin, and impressed twolegs with my skillz!” I whoop. “What’s the next clue?” says Amsterdam, bouncing up and down. Land of ice, black and white, The ride to them might give you a fright “Oh no,” I growl. “I’m not going on another ride.” “Who knows, it might even be a kiddies’ ride,” shrugs Sparkles. She turns to Amsterdam. “You know probably everything about this place. Do you know where the ‘land of ice’ might be?” “Antarctica, and penguins,” he chirps. “I’ve been living here for four moons; I know where everything is.” I follow him. “Is the ride scary?” I ask, scared. “Depends which mode you take, but for the game’s sake, you have to go on the wild one.” He winks at me. “Don’t throw up. You’ve already wet yourself today.” I shove him. “Don’t remind me!” We walk into a pathway surrounded my walls of fake ice. The air here is colder somehow, and I shiver. “S-so where’s the ride?” I ask. “In here. When asking what mode, choose wild and follow the walkway from there,” Amsterdam instructs. “Survive the ride and you’ll get taken to the penguin place, and hopefully the clue will be somewhere there.” “Thanks, know-it-all,” I tease. “Thanks for noticing,” he purrs back. “What I lack in strength makes up for brains.” I walk in, following the walkways. It’s beautiful, with purple and green lights showing through the ice, illuminating the dark passageway. Soft string music is playing, and I wander through. I come to a room where a video of a penguin colony starts playing and a twoleg voice is heard narrating. Suddenly the doors open, revealing yet ''another ''walkway. A thought jumped into my head. If the park was under maintenance and the rides weren’t supposed to work, then who was operating them? Has this cat been watching me all this time? Soon I find myself at two doors and immediately choose the door saying ‘Wild Expedition’. The door automatically opens, and I have to walk along another corridor too. Still looks beautiful, though! Finally I reach the cart and step in. I refuse to do the seatbelt as I think this cat wants me as closest to death as possible. “Good choice.” The cat’s voice booms across the room. It’s female, which is going to be really useful in the future. The cart rocks from side to side, and I suddenly wish I did the seatbelt. It’s like a slow version of dodgems. I look around. I’m the only one here, so I croon at the cute penguin videos, whoop in delight at the wonderful scenery, and enjoy getting thrown around by the cart. And that just about sums up this ride. When it stops at the penguin habitat, I stare agape at the penguins.I run up to the glass. “They’re so cute!” I squeal. I gasp in delight as I see the next clue underwater on a rock. ''Oh my Starclan, I’m going to swim with penguins! And that sign says I’m not even allowed! '' Luckily there are no twolegs around. I breathe a sigh of relief and clamber onto a rock. I stare into the water and dip a paw in. It’s freezing! How do these penguins survive? I slide in, and almost gets impaled on a penguin’s beak. ''Jeez! ''I shriek silently. ''Now where’s that clue? I remember seeing it on a rock underwater. I haul myself onto the nearest rock and gasp for breath, scanning the water for the clue. But it’s impossible with so many penguins! My gaze finally catches on something, and I dive in, shivering at the icy water. I grab it in my teeth and quickly scramble out of the tank. I’d better get out of here before those penguins kill me! I haul myself out of the building and collapse at Sparkles’ paws. “Well?” she asks. “What’s the next clue?” Twisting, turning, flying about, You’re upside down, so don’t fall out! All of you must face this ride, I think a cat once rode and died You’ve got this far, you’re almost done, The Manta ride will be loads of fun! “We’re going on a roller coaster,” I breathe. “The Manta,” Amsterdam chokes out. “A cat once died on that,” gasps Amy. “And It’ll be loads of fun!” chirps Sparkles. She smiled; part happily and part evilly. Don’t kill them, ''a beloved voice warned her. ''They must fear you. They must fear US. She giggled. “Of course, my dear; shame you didn’t live until marriage. Now, maximum speed or a broken carriage?” There was no reply. She shook her head. She was going crazy. Perhaps she was being to chaotic about the whole ‘breaking the ranks’ thing. Maybe I should just leave… She snarled and scratched herself. She had sworn an oath and had been given a new name, a new past and future. To leave would be plunging The Hidden more into chaos. But they didn’t need her, did they? After all, nobody had accepted her calls or spoken to her. They despised the way she spoke in rhymes, wrote in rhymes, lived ''in rhymes. ‘Words I say will be in sync, or else my sanity will be on the brink,’ she had said. She grunted and limped into the control room. She had broken the carriage earlier so it gradually broke apart as the ride progressed before collapsing completely at the end. ''YOLO, ''she thought happily and rammed the lever up to full speed: 75mph. “The Kraken ride is much more frightening, but now this is the speed of lightning,” she cackled before leaping away into the dark. “I don’t like this,” I moan as I clamber into the carriage. I somehow manage to do my seatbelt with trembling paws. Sparkles climbs in next to me. “If it’s safe for humans, it’s safe for us.” Suddenly the carriage tips upside down. I scream like a demon as we ascend, but upside down. It climbs slowly to the top, and I’m hyperventilating more every second. Then there’s suddenly a drop, and we curve around. We all scream as the track twists us around, looping and spiralling out of control. My heart skips a beat as part of the carriage falls off. “Did you hear that?” Another part drops off and hits the ground below. “The carriage is falling apart!” I shriek. We loop around, and several of the empty carriages behind us fall, one by one. It would’ve been artistic in a way if the situation hadn’t been life-threatening. “Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,” whimpers Amy. “We’re ''so ''going to die!” And then a piece of the TRACK falls out of place, and the two carriages we’re stuck in (and the only two that are left!) fly off the rails. Amsterdam then pukes all over me. “Gross,” I mutter, my heart racing. We crash back onto the track on the other end, sparks flying. “It didn’t land properly!” I shriek. A small flame springs up and my heart stops. The ride is almost over now, but the fire will get us before we’re out. It spreads rapidly, and by the time the start of the ride is in view we’re surrounded by fire on all sides. “Drop out!” screams Sparkles. “Quick, before the whole thing explodes!” We quickly unbuckle our seatbelts and drop to the floor. I crawl out, hacking out smoke. Unfazed by what happened, Amsterdam skitters out. “That was the best. Ride. Ever!” he howls. “That’s one thing I’ll ever experience again!” His pelt is charred with smoke, but his eyes are still the bright dark blue they always have been. Now Amy huffs out. “Once we’re out of this madhouse of a theme park I’m going straight to a cat stylist,” she raged. Sparkles walks up to her from behind and touches her lightly with her slightly greyed tail. “Don’t touch me,” Amy hisses. Sparkles rolls her eyes. “Do you know where the next clue is?” she asks me, weary. I heave my head up and blearily see the next clue on the wall. It’s been graffitied on the wall this time instead of a messy scrawl. Fast and floorless, You’re so dauntless, Quiver and quake, Your fear isn’t fake, Mythical beast, Last but not least, The Kraken is calling, You’re dying, I’m LOLing “The Kraken,” moans Amsterdam before puking again. “No floor, loop-the-loops, one of the best coasters in the USA.” He jumps up. “I’m in!” “Can’t we have a rest?” I ask. “That was so traumatising!” “After the Kraken,” promises Sparkles. “This is a mission now. We must not rest until it is complete.” My chest fills with loyalty. “Okay then… how far away is it?” “Near the Antarctica place,” says Amsterdam, shuffling his paws. “Can we go already?” Sparkles sighs. “Fine,” she groans, beckoning Amy. “Hopefully it’s a short walk…” “Holy mother of…” I squeak. “We have to go on that?” The Kraken is a mess of loops, twists and turns. It’s much larger than the Manta. It’s probably as large as the FROST building! “If we die, it’ll be a great way to go,” optimises Sparkles. “At least no cat had died on this.” My head is pounding as I strap myself in. The carriage slowly starts and does a U-turn, then steadily makes the large ascend upwards. I’m more confident this time: I’ve ridden Atlantis, and I didn’t die on the Manta. But this, ''this, looks much worse. There’s a slow dip before the first giant drop. Then there’s the first loop-the-loop! Amsterdam lets out a loud whoop and we all join in. We spiral and loop and plunge downwards, then we go underground! “Now this is what I call a roller coaster!” I exclaim happily as we loop around again into the dark. “I know, right!” laughs back Amsterdam. “Are there roller coasters at Little Wings?” “No,” replies Sparkles sharply. “If there were, they would be extremely dangerous but safe, and you’d kill yourself as soon as you arrived. Great god, Amsterdam, you’re one crazy kitty.” “Thank you,” he purrs as the ride comes to an end. “I’m glad you noticed.” We clamber out, laughing. A new message is on the wall: You’ve done it! It’s over! You’ve mastered the seas, New York City is this way please! “New York City?” I gasp. “My family!” yowls Amsterdam. “A cat stylist!” Amy squeals. “Steak,” drools Sparkles. “And then after that, maybe, just maybe, I’ll get to go home,” I sigh.